2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) Student Survey and Student Records Qualitative Evaluation

Attachment V

Student Cognitive Interview Eligibility Screening Questions

The recruitment screener, a 3-5 minute phone script, will be used to determine if individuals qualify for study participation in order to test the items identified for cognitive/usability testing for the NPSAS:16 survey. Recruiters will reach out to respondents or potential respondents will call a toll-free number mentioned in an ad and an experienced recruiter will screen the caller for eligibility for the project.

Intro: Thank you for inquiring about this study. I need to ask you a few questions to determine if you are eligible to participate. The screening is expected to take approximately 3-5 minutes.

1. Were you attending high school or completing any high school requirements at any time between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015?

Yes

No (Ineligible)

2. Did you attend a college, university, or trade school at any time between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015?

Yes

No (Ineligible)

3. What is the name of the college, university, or trade school you attended at any time between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015? (If more than one: What is the name of the school you consider to be your primary school?)

4. Which of the following were you working on at [school name] in the 2014-2015 academic year (July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015)?

Degrees

Associate’s degree (usually a 2-year degree)

Bachelor’s degree (usually a 4-year degree)

Master's degree

Doctoral degree--research/scholarship (for example, Phd, EdD, etc.)

Doctoral degree--professional practice (including: chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, or veterinary medicine)

Certificates

Undergraduate certificate or diploma (usually less than 2 years), including those leading to a certification or license (example: cosmetology)

Post-baccalaureate certificate

Post-master's certificate

Classes only (not in a degree program)

Undergraduate level classes

Graduate level classes

5. (If working on degree or certificate)

What is your major or field of study?

6. (If working on bachelor’s degree)

Have you completed all the requirements for your bachelor’s degree at [school name]?

Yes

No

7. (If yes to question 6)

In what month and year were you awarded your bachelor’s degree from [school name]?

(If no to question 6)

In what month and year do you expect to complete the requirements for your bachelor’s degree?

8. What is your age? Are you…

Under 18 (Ineligible)

18-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40 or older

9. Are you of either Hispanic or Latino origin?

Yes

No

10. What is your race?

Choose one or more.

White

Black or African American

Asian

American Indian or Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

11. What is your gender?

12. On a scale of “1” to “10,” where a score of “10” means that the statement describes you extremely well and “1” means that the statement does not describe you at all, how well does the following statement describe you? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER PER ROW)

	CIRCLE ONE
	EXTREMELY WELL										NOT AT ALL WELL
I feel comfortable expressing my opinion in a group or interview		10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2		1

NOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT RESPONDENTS IN THIS STUDY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AND CLEARLY EXPRESS INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE. IF RESPONDENT CANNOT OR WILL NOT EASILY GIVE A ONE TO TWO SENTENCE UNPROMPTED ANSWER IN WELL UNDERSTOOD ENGLISH, PLEASE TERMINATE.

If ineligible: Thank you for inquiring about this study. If you are eligible to participate, we will contact you at a later date.

If eligible (Invitation to participate):

We are conducting online video interviews with students like you to evaluate some of the questions that will be used in an education survey with special topics for students.  This is not a sales meeting of any kind.

The interview will take about one and a half hours to complete and respondents will receive $40 after the interview as a thank you for their participation.  The interview will be conducted using online video technology and you can participate from your computer. 

Can I schedule an interview at your convenience?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(ASSIGN TIME SLOT AND CONTINUE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)

Does the computer at the location where you will be participating in the interview have a webcam?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	 (GO TO NEXT QUESTION)
No	2	 (CONTINUE)

If you don’t have a webcam on this computer, we will send you one. Please provide your mailing address below. The address must not be a Post Office box, and the office/suite number or apartment number must be included, if appropriate.

______________________________________________ (MAILING ADDRESS)

Part of the interview will involve filling out a questionnaire using a smart phone or tablet.  Do you have a smart phone or tablet that you would be willing to use for this purpose?  (ABOUT HALF OF RESPONDENTS WILL COMPLETE THE SURVEY USING A MOBILE DEVICE)

           

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes, has a smart phone	1	 (CONTINUE)
Yes, has a tablet	2	 (CONTINUE)

           

No, have neither that can be used                  3                  (RECRUIT FOR COMPUTER USABILITY, GO TO NEXT QUESTION)

In order to complete the survey using a smart phone or tablet, we will need to send you a document camera to use to record the screen on your device as you are using it.   Please provide your mailing address below. The address must not be a Post Office box, and the office/suite number or apartment number must be included, if appropriate.

____________________________________________ (MAILING ADDRESS)

If for any reason your plans change and you can't keep your appointment, please call and let me know in advance.  My telephone number is (INSERT NUMBER).

Finally, we will be sending you a “consent to participate in research form” via email that we will need you to sign and scan back to us in order to confirm your participation.

INTERVIEWER:  RECORD APPOINTMENT DATE AND TIME ON FRONT OF SCREENER.  COMPLETE NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION.

Obtain the phone number and email address of the respondent and confirm that the phone number is the best one to reach him/her when they participate in the interview.

(RECORD BELOW.)

_______________________________________ (RECORD E-MAIL ADDRESS)

_______________________________________ (RECORD TELEPHONE NUMBER)

         THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.

       WE WILL SEND YOU LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SESSION AND ONE OF OUR TECHNICAL STAFF WILL CONTACT YOU TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE THE SESSION TO ENSURE YOUR WEBCAM, DOCUMENT CAMERA, AND THE ONLINE VIDEO SOFTWARE ARE WORKING PROPERLY FOR YOU.

Attachment VI

NPSAS:16 Focus Groups Recruitment Call & Screening Questions

Online Video Focus Group Screener for Postsecondary Institution Staff

RESPONDENT FIRST NAME:

DATE SCREENED/SCHEDULED: ____________________ BY: _________________________

DATE CONFIRMED: CONFIRMED BY:

Design:

• Three (3) online video focus groups with staff at educational institutions who complete student data collection forms for NPSAS and other NCES studies.

• Group 1: Web mode participants

• Group 2: Excel template mode participants

• Group 3: CSV mode participants

• Recruit 10 per group for a show of 6 to 10

(ASK TO SPEAK TO PERSON ON THE LIST)

Hello, this is [name] calling from Shugoll Research, an independent research company, on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) part of the US Department of Education.

We are requesting the help of individuals at postsecondary institutions that had been selected to participate in the NPSAS:16 field test. You have been recommended to us to participate in a focus group to discuss ways to improve the procedures and forms that NCES uses to collect student records for NPSAS and other NCES sample studies.

I’d like to ask you a few questions first:

1. Are you familiar with the NPSAS:16 field test collection?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	 (CONTINUE)
No	2	 (Briefly describe the student records collection in NPSAS:16, then CONTINUE)

2. The focus group will be conducted using online video technology and you can participate from your computer. It is a panel discussion with up to 10 individuals who are responsible for collecting data from their institution’s records and completing NPSAS reporting requirements. Which of the following best describes who, within your institution, is responsible for providing the student records data for NPSAS? By this we mean the person who actually accesses the appropriate data and enters or uploads them into the data collection instruments. (READ LIST)

		CIRCLE ONE
	You are the primary person responsible for completing the instruments	1
	You share the tasks involved in completing the instruments with someone else	2
OR	Someone else is involved in completing the instruments	3	(ASK TO SPEAK TO THIS PERSON)
(DO NOT READ)	Don't know	4	(THANK AND TERMINATE)

3. Do you have high speed Internet on the computer at the location where you would be participating in the focus group?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	 (CONTINUE)
No	2	 (THANK AND TERMINATE)

4. Now, thinking about your experience with the NPSAS:16 field test student records collection, can you tell me about your experience with this process? (PROBE AND CLARIFY, WRITE VERBATIM)

NOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT RESPONDENTS IN THIS STUDY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AND CLEARLY EXPRESS INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE. IF RESPONDENT CANNOT OR WILL NOT EASILY GIVE A ONE TO TWO SENTENCE UNPROMPTED ANSWER IN WELL UNDERSTOOD ENGLISH, PLEASE TERMINATE.

5. On a scale of “1” to “10,” where a score of “10” means that the statement describes you extremely well and “1” means that the statement does not describe you at all, how well does the following statement describe you?

	Extremely Well													Not at all
I feel comfortable expressing my opinion in a group	10	9	8		7		6		5		4		3		2	1

↓

INTERVIEWER NOTE: 7 OR HIGHER MUST BE CIRCLED, OTHERWISE THANK AND TERMINATE.

6. Which mode did your institution use to complete the NPSAS:16 field test student record collection?

	CIRCLE ONE
Web mode	1	 (RECRUIT FOR GROUP 1)
Excel template	2	 (RECRUIT FOR GROUP 2)
CSV mode	3	 (RECRUIT FOR GROUP 3)

7. Please verify that your institution is still classified as [institution type].

	CIRCLE ONE
Public less-than-2-year	1
Public 2-year	2
Public 4-year nondoctorate-granting	3
Public 4-year doctorate-granting	4
Private nonprofit lt 4-year	5
Private nonprofit 4-year nondoctorate	6
Private nonprofit 4-year doctorate-granting	7
Private for profit less-than-2-year	8
Private for profit 2-year	9
Private for profit 4-year	10

8. What is your current title?

_______________________________________

9. What department do you work in? (DO NOT READ)

	CIRCLE ONE
Financial aid/Financial planning	1
Institutional research	2
Admissions	3
Other (Specify) ____________________	4

INVITATION

10. We would like to invite you to participate in an online video focus group to discuss ways to improve the student records collection instruments and processes for NPSAS and other NCES studies. Your session is scheduled for ______, June [xx] at _____ (EASTERN TIME). You will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate, by email, as a token of thanks for your participation in this study. Would you be willing to participate?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(CONTINUE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)

11. Does the computer at the location where you will be participating in the focus group have a webcam?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	 (SKIP TO Q12)
No	2	 (CONTINUE)

12. If you don’t have a webcam on this computer, we will send you one. Please provide your mailing address below. The address must not be a Post Office box, and the office/suite number or apartment number must be included, if appropriate.

_______________________________________________________ (MAILING ADDRESS)

13. Please provide your e-mail address and telephone number at the location where you will be participating in the focus group.

_______________________________________ (RECORD E-MAIL ADDRESS)

_______________________________________ (RECORD TELEPHONE NUMBER)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION. WE WILL SEND YOU LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SESSION.

NPSAS:16 Focus Groups Rescreening Questions

(right before the focus group begins)

If respondent does not qualify, please notify the project manager.

1. Which of the following best describes who within your institution is responsible for completing the student records collection instruments required by NPSAS and other NCES studies? By this we mean the person who actually accesses the appropriate data and completes the instruments.

		CIRCLE ONE
	You are the primary person responsible for completing the instruments	1	(MUST SELECT CODE 1 OR 2 TO QUALIFY)
	You share the tasks involved in completing the instruments with someone else	2
	Someone else is involved in completing the instruments	3
	Don't know	4

2. Do you have high speed Internet on the computer at the location where you will be participating in the focus group?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(MUST SELECT CODE 1 TO QUALIFY)
No	2

3. What mode did your institution use to complete the NPSAS:16 field test student records collection?

	CIRCLE ONE
Web mode	1	 (CONFIRM FOR GROUP 1)
Excel template	2	 (CONFIRM FOR GROUP 2)
CSV mode	3	 (CONFIRM FOR GROUP 3)